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Saturday, December 31, 2011

Posts of interest - 2011

As a means (an attempt) to freeze a point in time (which we know is not possible), the last post of 2011 will list the top four posts in terms of having been read (well, views, anyway). Perhaps, this will be a yearly event.

Aside: As said in Mission and Method, posts are to contribute to a theme, though there may be divergent ones from time to time. Blogs allow categories, but these are problematic since they collect and present in a time order. From time to time, there ought to be a super-post that gives a more coherent view (here is an example - Truth, Fiction, and Finance). Perhaps, that type of thing will be done more often in the coming year.

Posts of interest, as of today:

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Leverage and truth II -- From 2008. We all love leverage. Engineering has applied this everywhere with all of our gadgets. But, we also know about limbs; too far can be problematic. What about cutting the limb between yourself and the tree? You see, we do this latter with computation. I can explain if you give me time; it's one motivation for what I've been trying to do here for the past few years. Why no hurry? You see, every bit of time elapse makes the argument stronger. The big problem is that the boys (and some girls) who like risk (emotional failure on their part - this, too, can be explained) do not just incur it themselves. No, they drag along the hapless. The 99% need to get a grasp on the themes of this blog; it's at the core of computational modeling where we can bring in the human element in a way that has only been considered peripheral.

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Last post for 2008 -- From 2008. Too many seats-of-the-pants decisions by the best and brightest keep things in turmoil. Somehow, we've accepted that as the norm. But, then the dryness of a scientific approach becomes more than tedious, it's a distraction. What ought to be the balance, and how do we attain such a thing?

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Extrapolation, calibration, truth -- From 2007. So much is wrapped in knowing. Always has been. The newer methods can be more problematic, though, that we've seen in the past. Now, who is to do the knowing? Obviously, the way things are now, not everybody. Perhaps, that will always be. But, would it not be nice to think that those who have the talents, the resources, et al are not just looking out for themselves? Actually, whom can be trusted is a key issue that we'll address, again and again? Also, how we know the value of things is key, too.

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OWS Occupy Wall Street News | Plutocracy Files -- From 2011. Have to love these people who not only put themselves into the class of the 99% but also do something to get attention and to try to attempt change. Before this happened, it seemed that the pall thrown on everyone by the uppers (CEOs, et al) had become an interminable yoke. That is, this pall: if you're not the best and brightest, or if you are not motivated by greed, or a whole number of other things that needs to be listed, then you're of no use. The pall says: we'll export any potential job for you off to the hapless elsewhere who can be more easily exploited; too, we'll make is so that you're indentured forever.